Cellophane Bags of Hope

Believe it or not, hundreds, if not thousands, of cellophane bags have brought a smile on the faces of countless people whose lives were about to drastically change because of two devastating typhoons.

Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng struck the Philippines late last year and wreaked havoc across many parts of the country. In the news, we see photos of flood water quickly rising way above two-storey, three-storey houses. We hear of properties and valuable possessions completely destroyed. We see farmlands and all its about-to-be-harvested produce wiped out in just a few short hours. In just a few short hours, for many Filipinos, dreams and everything they have worked for were all gone.

All of a sudden, the bickering and criticizing stopped. Even for a few short moments, people forgot about themselves. They stopped throwing pity parties and whining about how unfair life is. All of a sudden, they see how fleeting possessions are and life itself. Indeed, life is too short to be bitter and complain all the time. Why do we have to wait till a tragedy strikes for us to come to our senses and realize there are more important and valuable things in life than our conveniences?

Thankfully, the tragedy has brought a lot of good to how the nation and its people needed to work together more and help each other more. Almost immediately, people from all walks of life have pulled together efforts and resources in order to extend the help they can. We also see video footages of some going out of their way, risking their very lives in order to help those trapped on top of houses and buildings about to be swept away by flood waters.. Help continued to pour in. Once again, the typhoon victims find hope and see a less dim future.

Typhoon victims were brought to evacuation centers, makeshift tents and other places where they can spend several nights till the water subsides and the mess cleaned up. As they wait, fellow Filipinos brought supplies such as water, food, clothes, blankets and pillows, toiletries. I can just imagine the extreme relief they must feel every time a supply truck pulls up bringing all these goodies inside shiny bags - and the smile and hope they all bring. Suddenly there is hope; there is joy just at the very sight of these cellophane bags.